High school students jailed for sagging pants

Two Bolivar Central High School students were jailed after wearing sagging pants in school.

"I just took it and went on. I didn't know what else to do," BCHS student Antonio Ammons said.

Ammons had to serve 48 hours behind bars in the Hardeman County Criminal Justice Complex after School Resource Officer Charles Woods charged him with indecent exposure for wearing sagging pants at the school.

Woods said in the report that the sagging happened more than once.

Ammons said he has never been in jail and was in a pod with other inmates.

"I really didn't like it," Ammons said.

Ammons showed WMC Action News 5 what his pants looked like at school. You can see part of the waistband of his underwear and his gym shorts.

Some parents and students agree something needs to be done, but said jail time is a little too much.

"I think jail time might be a little too much, but at the same time there has been a lot of sagging pants," parent Crystal Wing said.

"I don't think it's necessary to go to jail for saggy pants, but I think the school should have some kind of punishment though," senior Jordan Perry said.

But other students are angry about it.

"I think it's just a little harsh. They didn't need to go to that extreme," student Cheyenne Lindsey said.

Ammons was one of four students charged with indecent exposure, but only two had to serve jail time. It is unclear why the students were charged with indecent exposure. Attorney Leslie Ballin said that under Tennessee law, saggy pants do not constitute indecent exposure.

Now Ammons, who lives with his great-grandmother, has to figure out how he will pay more than $250 in court costs and fines.

WMC Action News 5 made repeated calls to the Hardeman County Schools Director Warner Ross II and the Bolivar Central High School principal Jeff Barnes for comments. None of the calls were returned. Attempts were also made to contact Hardeman County Juvenile Court Judge and General Sessions Judge Boyette Denton, but those attempts were unsuccessful as well.